Corrections won't make snap changes to conjugal visit policy

From calls, to emails, to Facebook comments, New Mexicans were stunned to hear Target 7's report that some convicted killers are allowed conjugal visits in prison.

Michael Guzman is a rapist, a killer and a father. Guzman fathered four children while behind bars thanks to prison laws that allowed him to have unsupervised visits with his wife.

Guzman's victim's sister, Margaret Young, wasn't pleased when she heard the news"There's no way he should've had those. It just doesn't make sense after what he did," Young said.

Gov. Susana Martinez was so outraged by the findings, she told Target 7 she called New Mexico Secretary of Corrections Gregg Mercantel and demanded a policy review.

By state law, unsupervised conjugal visits are mandated, but it's up to corrections to determine which prisoners can qualify for the visits.

Target 7 tried to set up an interview with Mercantel, but said he wouldn't be available at all to comment on the story. Instead, Target 7 received an email with a message from him. In in it he said, "I understand the outrage and disgust the public has for this decades old policy."

Mercantel went on to say that he's not going to make a knee-jerk reaction change to a policy because that could anger prisoners and put officers in danger.

That said, he wrote, "We have been looking at changing the family visits policy for months now … when the policy is changed, I will be sure to share those changes."

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